Empathy

*Anya* · 07-19-2012, 04:21 PM

Many people confuse empathy with sympathy.

In counseling theory, they are not synonymous.

Sympathy focuses on sharing or experiencing another person's bad news, sadness or feelings. When we are sympathetic, we are feeling sorry for another.

Empathy is sharing the good, as well as the bad. It can be good or bad news or feelings and understanding them.

It is being able to put oneself in the shoes of another to understand those but not feeling sorry for them or necessarily agreeing with them.

It is the ability to understand someone else's point of view.

In an individual with an Antisocial Personality Disorder, they lack empathy and this ability to understand someone else's internal experience.

An empath is something else entirely. The definition I found is that they are psychically able to "tune into" others. This is not an area I have either professional or personal knowlege so will leave explanations to others.

07-19-2012, 04:21 PM	#6
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,443 Times in 7,285 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	Many people confuse empathy with sympathy. In counseling theory, they are not synonymous. Sympathy focuses on sharing or experiencing another person's bad news, sadness or feelings. When we are sympathetic, we are feeling sorry for another. Empathy is sharing the good, as well as the bad. It can be good or bad news or feelings and understanding them. It is being able to put oneself in the shoes of another to understand those but not feeling sorry for them or necessarily agreeing with them. It is the ability to understand someone else's point of view. In an individual with an Antisocial Personality Disorder, they lack empathy and this ability to understand someone else's internal experience. An empath is something else entirely. The definition I found is that they are psychically able to "tune into" others. This is not an area I have either professional or personal knowlege so will leave explanations to others. __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner Last edited by Anya; 07-19-2012 at 04:47 PM. Reason: Typos, always the darn typos!